Keith Urban is more than an accomplished singer, an incredible guitar player and a consummate country music performer.
He is joy personified, a man who brings his whole heart onto the stage and beams it back out to the audience.
Urban is the ultimate professional, and you can tell he loves being onstage, being in front of fans and most obviously, he loves being able to perform music.
Playing to his home city crowd (15 August), the first of three Brisbane concerts, the ex-Caboolture local was exuberant, energetic and oh so engaging.
Keith Urban - image © Clea-marie Thorne
This man knows how to give good stage chat and the banter didn't stop for the entire two-plus hours of his show. This is part of his charm, he's truly there, laughing with the crowd and chatting like you're all old friends.
The audience were on fire from the start, patiently waiting for their guy, and when the stage went dark and the silhouette of Urban appeared – the ROAR which went up was stadium shattering.
He shared his mission statement for the night: "That none of you will think of anything outside of the Boondall Entertainment Centre for the next two hours."
In his ripped, bootleg jeans, tight tee and sneakers, Urban was relaxed and ready to play (but behind the easygoing exterior, you can tell this man has prepped for this tour). Athletic and toned, Urban had more energy than a kid on red cordial.
Keith Urban - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Kicking off with a medley of tracks including 'Straight Line', 'Where The Blacktop Ends' and 'Parallel Line', Urban didn't miss a beat (literally) and played through his set list with ease and unbridled happiness.
If you want to see a person who is living their dream – look at Urban on a stage. Flanked by a talented band and fast crew – he switched guitars often (at last count it was eight times), sharing stories and candid thoughts as the changeovers happened.
This man channels music from somewhere otherworldly – he was flawless in his delivery but it's the heart and deep-seated love for it which shone through everything he performed.
With a voice that slipped between power belting and whispery croons, Urban was mesmerising regardless of whether you are a country music fan or not. However, it is his guitar playing that has elevated to another stratosphere and perhaps is vastly underrated in the music world.
Keith Urban - image © Clea-marie Thorne
In spite of the incessant pressure of being highly visible in a very judgmental industry – Urban seems to remain centred, grounded and very, very humble. The number of times he thanked his fans was touching and he was often seen to be exchanging touching moments with different members of his band and crew.
After playing with high energy all night – which included epic guitar solos, a generous acknowledgement of his band and crew and traversing through the crowd to the small pop-up stage at the back of the venue (so the people in the cheaper seats had a front-row view) – Urban wrapped a solid set of songs to endless applause.
If you looked around it was to witness a sea of smiling faces; and in truth, isn't that what music is meant to do? To help us all experience the spectrum of emotions, forget our troubles for a moment and to remember what it is to feel truly alive.
More photos from the concert.
